Pimp Your Finances

Welcome to the 48th edition of the Money Hacks Carnival!  In honor of the inauguration, it is Presidential-themed.  But it’s not about politics - neither red nor blue.  The only color that matters here is green.

Here are 71 links to help you hack your finances.  They are broken down into twelve categories, and each starts with a Presidential quote.  Enjoy!

Editor’s Choice

There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth, and pursue it steadily. Nothing but harmony, honesty, industry and frugality are necessary to make us a great and happy nation.

- George Washington

• E-Trade Complete Online Savings Account Review posted at Money Ning
• Does anyone know if Pet Insurance is worth the beans? posted at Budgets are Sexy.
• All About “Free” Money Making Seminars posted at Free Money Finance
• How to File Your 2008 Federal Taxes for Free posted at Cash Money Life
• Circuit City could provide some resale opportunities posted at Mighty Bargain Hunter
• 21 Deal Sites and Online Tools To Help You Save Money posted at The Digerati Life
• The Funny Thing About Plans Is… posted at The Financial Blogger
• Calculating Your Mortgage Refinance Payback Period posted at Five Cent Nickel

Using Credit Responsibly

All the perplexities, confusion, and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.

- John Adams

• Crafty Creditors Are Making Changes posted at The Happy Rock
• Citi: Request Automatic Credit Line Increases posted at Daily Money Hack
• Free Money from Reverse Arbitrage posted at M is for Money
• Requested my $250 Chase Freedom Card Cash Check posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary

Economics

Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce.

- James Garfield

• The Financial Crisis: Losing Your Job and Money May Not Be the Only Casualty posted at The Political and Financial Markets Commentator
• Thrift Paradox – Is Frugality Hurting Our Economy? posted at Watson Inc
• Bank of America Headed Back to the TARP ATM posted at Dividends4Life
• Are the Rules of Retirement Changing? posted at Passive Family Income
• What Happens During an Online Bank Failure? posted at Best Interest Rate Banks
• 3 Things to Consider When Working for a Family Run Business posted at The Strump
• What Industries are Hiring Now? posted at Financial Reflections
• The Pell Grant: 2009 and Beyond posted at Personal Finance Analyst

Self-responsibility and Motivation

Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.

- John F. Kennedy

• 100 Terrific Self-Learning Sites to Boost Your Resume During the Recession posted at Best Universities
• Persistence Wins the Race posted at HarvestingDollars
• Can Your Personality Help You Deal with the Economy? posted at PennyJobs
• The Other Shoe Fell posted at Money Beagle
• Information Overload Will Eat Your Brain posted at 15 Minutes to Riches!
• Bail YOURSELF Out in 2009 posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket
• It’s Not Hard To Be Good posted at The Shark Investor

Home Ownership

To deal with individual human needs at the everyday level can be noble sometimes.

- Jimmy Carter

• Shopping for a Mortgage posted at Fix My Personal Finance
• Looking to Remodel Your Home?  What’s the Best ROI? posted at The Passive Dad
• Am I Ready for Home Ownership? posted at Personal Finance Ology
• Home Insurance – Things to Know posted at Home I Own

On Character

 If you think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself.  Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish prig.

- Woodrow Wilson

• What is Abundance? posted at You Are Truly Loved
• From Rags to Riches posted at Living Almost Large
• Will Digital Television Result in Tossed Technology? posted at Uncommon Cents
• Frugality and the Environment posted at ZPetals
• Payday Loans SUCK…But Should We Ban Them? posted at Short Term Loans

The Value of Hard Work

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have

- Thomas Jefferson

• Skip the Get Rich Quick Schemes posted at Wealth Junkies
• Why You Should Never Join MLM posted at Isaac Yassar’s Overture
• A Lesson (almost) Learned the Hard Way posted at My Journey to Millions

Making Informed Decisions

Information is the oxygen of the modern age.  It seeps through the walls topped barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.

- Ronald Reagan

• Get the Best Interest Rate: A Review of MoneyAisle.com posted at Your Money Relationship
• E-Trade Bank Online Savings Account Review posted at Money Blue Book
• Ebates.com Review: Save Money When Shopping Online posted at Prime Time Money
• Free Download – Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2009 posted at FIRE Finance
• Read that Contract! posted at Funny about Money

Income and Investing

 Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality.

- John Tyler

• Find Your Missing Money posted at The Buck List
• Making Money on eBay posted at Little People Wealth
• Where Did the 2008 Investment Losses Go? posted at My Wealth Builder
• Baby Boomers: Time To Put Your Money Back In The Market posted at Consumer Boomer
• Bid Ask Spread posted at Investing School
• How to Invest with $10,000-$50,000 in the Current Market Condition posted at Recession Thoughts
• Where in the Market Should I Invest? posted at The Penny Daily
• Dividend Payout Factor – What it Means to Me posted at Dividend Tree

Frugality

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.  You cannot establish security on borrowed money.  You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.

- Abraham Lincoln

• Lower My Bills – Cell Phone Edition posted at Paying for Retirement
• 10 Luxury Items You Can Buy Now for 10 Cents on the Dollar posted at International Listings Blog
• Best Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bill posted at Secrets for Money
• Printable Valentine’s Day Cards posted at Home Life Weekly
• Free and Legal TV and Movies Online posted at Christian Personal Finance Blog
• Frugal Winter Projects Perfect for Cold Days posted at Sound Money Matters
• Electricity Update for December 2008 posted at Out of Debt Again
• Save Money on Your Landline Phone posted at Lazy Man and Money
• Save Money by Always Being in a Contract posted at Just Saver
• Low Cost Entertainment for the Kids on a Budget posted at The Family Wallet
• Be a Better Bargainer posted at Out of Debt – Christian Finances and Debt Help
• Make Razor Blades Last Longer By Keeping Them Dry posted at Money Tipper
• Effective Gas Consumption – Can it be Done? posted at Save Money on Gas
• Save Money on Healthy Organic Foods posted at Natural Family Living Blog
• Buying a Car?  Get Your Financing First posted at The Smarter Wallet
• Marketing Logic posted at I Pick Up Pennies

Taxes

We believe the American people can spend their money better than the government can spend it.

- George W. Bush

• Free Tax Preparation for Military Members posted at Military Finance Network
• Turbo Tax Online Price Increases Over the Years posted at One Family’s Blog
• Invest Some Time in Knowing Your Taxes posted at One Million Bucks

The Future

Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.

- Barack Obama

I’m not going to post any links for this one, because no one knows what the future will hold.  Let’s just try to remember that we’re all in this together, and a good economy starts in the home and with individuals.  We’re all going to have to work harder and make sacrifices to pull through this.

Thanks for checking out the Presidential edition of the Money Hacks Carnival.  For more information about hosting or submitting, please check out the Money Hacks Carnival homepage.